1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a trigger device for fire arms, particularly for competition fire arms, comprising an intercept latch which is pivoted in a trigger housing and can hold a spring-loaded element serving to release the firing such as, for instance, a firing pin, a hammer or an air pressure plunger, in its cocked position, as well as a trigger latch holding the intercept latch and a trigger lever which is in mechanical connection with the trigger latch directly or via intermediate members. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a trigger device for fire arms wherein means are provided to lower a pivotally connected intercept latch slowly upon a contact surface of a trigger latch so that no unnecessary wearing of the contact surface of the trigger latch or intercept latch is effected. The contact surface of the intercept latch is caused to be placed upon the contact surface of the trigger latch just prior to full actuation of the trigger mechanism which results in a release of the intercept latch from the trigger latch by pivotal movement of the trigger latch. Such releasing movement causes release of the firing element and discharge of the bullet.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Trigger devices must function with great precision particularly if they are incorporated in a sport weapon. A sporting rifleman wants to fire each shot as far as possible without delay at a time determined by him. The reason given for this is that even the best shot cannot hold the weapon aimed at the target completely steady and the shot must be released during the small, but unavoidable oscillatory movement completely prior to the movement the moment when the line of sight goes to the target. Many riflemen make a virtue out of this situation and address the target in a slow, swinging motion of the weapon in order to trigger at the suitable moment. The trigger process within the trigger device should therefore occur within at most one or two milliseconds. In addition, it is required that the release time and the release force should not change, as far as possible, even after extended use of the trigger device, but should remain constant.
The trigger devices known so far meet these requirements only imperfectly. Particularly delicate is in this problem area the interplay between the intercept latch and the trigger latch. As is well known, the intercept latch rests against the trigger latch with a trigger sear when the trigger device is ready to be tripped. With so-called pressure-point triggering and contact forces of several newtons, the overlap of the two latches is, for instance, about 0.2 mm. When the trigger lever is pulled through, this overlap is decreased up to the pressure point to about 0.02 mm. The intercept latch then drops off practically only due to an increase of the force at the trigger lever. With such a small final overlap, extreme accuracy and wear resistance of the break-away edges are important. However, the wear at these edges occurs less when the two latches slide off from each other than when the intercept latch is returned and placed back on, when hard shocks act on the delicate surfaces and break-away edges. If, deviating from the ideally desired geometric form, the break-away edges are rounded by even a slight amount or otherwise damaged, the intercept latch can slide off from the trigger latch already before or when reaching the pressure point. One usually attempts to compensate for the wear, once it has occurred, by advancing the pressure point. This, however, makes the internal release time longer than before, which has an unfavorable effect on the result of the firing.
Rounded break-away edges can also lead to the situation where, in playing the trigger at the pressure point, the two latches no longer slide back to greater overlap and are practically hung up against each other in an unstable position. By "playing" is meant here the repeated approaching and releasing of the pressure point prior to tripping. Playing is used by many riflemen, because they want to trigger the shot only under optimum conditions. However, if the latches hang together at the pressure point position during this playing, which is not immediately recognizable to the rifleman, controlled triggering is no longer possible and the shot can go off at the slightest vibration of the weapon.
It has therefore become desirable to provide a trigger device in which the delicate surfaces and break-away edges of the mechanical parts of the trigger device are not caused to undergo unnecessary wear. It has also become desirable to provide a trigger device having a small final overlap of the contact surfaces whereby the contact surface of the intercept latch rests upon the contact surface of the trigger latch only just prior to full actuation of the trigger mechanism. It therefore has become desirable to provide a means for lowering the intercept latch slowly upon the contact surface of the trigger latch whereby unnecessary wear of the contact surfaces of the trigger latch and intercept latch are avoided.
It is an object of this invention to provide a trigger device for fire arms, in which the natural wear of the overlap surfaces and the break-away edges of the intercept and trigger latch is appreciably reduced. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a trigger device for fire arms in which means are provided to slowly lower the intercept latch so that it rests upon the trigger latch only just prior to full actuation of the firing mechanism.